Textile creel



Jun 14, 193s. R. LITTLE 2,120,759

TEXTILE GREEL Filed July 1o, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 1 Zi :ff

l\ @V Zw/ Wwf y @ms June 14, R. MT1-LE TEXTILE CREEL Filed July 1o, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 2 5 /7 /Z gli' g77 if 74x; H V@ ff' yl "H l d 29;??? #7 if /H L Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFTCE TEXTILE CREEL Application July 10,

8 Claims.

This invention relates to creels for use in the textile art and more particularly to creels for use with winding machines, twisting and doubling frames or other textile apparatus requiring the delivery of yarn from rotatable supply-packages.

One object of the present invention is to Drovide a cree] of compact structure capable of supporting a maximum number of supply-packages 1n a minimum space.

Another object of the invention is to provide a creel of the type indicated in which the supplypackages are mounted on spindles movable toward and away from the creel frame to facilitate donning and dofng the supplies.

Another object of the invention is to provide a creel of the type indicated for rotatably supporting groups of packages in parallel relationship with the axes of the packages of each group oiset from a vertical plane to provide for free delivery of the yarns from all of the supplies.

Another object of the invention is to provide a creel of the type indicated having spaced parallel stanchions between which a group of supply-packages are rotatably mounted on spindles carried by one of the stanchions and supported in part by an adjacent stanchion.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a creel of the type indicated in which the stanchions form a sectional frame for supporting the groups of supply-packages in parallel sideby-side relationship so that the number of groups of packages may be increased by adding sections to the frame.

Further objects of the improvement are set forth in the following specication which describes a preferred form of construction of the invention, by way of example, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational View of a section of a creel embodying the novel features of the present invention and showing three groups of supply-packages with the packages of each group supported between parallel stanchions in vertical spaced relationship;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the creel showing the supply-packages of one group arranged in offset relationship with one of the supporting spindles illustrated in dash lines as hav- 50 ing been moved outwardly away from the frame;

and

Fig. 3 is a detailed plan view of one pair of the spaced stanchions of the frame showing one of the package-supporting sp-indles moved outwardly away from the stanchions.

1936, Serial No. 89,964

The present improved creel comprises, in general, a sectional frame consisting of a plurality of vertical stanchions adapted to be mounted in spaced parallel relationship. Each stanchion has a series of arms pivotally mounted thereon which carry laterally-extending spindles. The spindles are adapted to rotatably support a group of supply-packages with the projecting end of each spindle seated in a bearing on the next adjacent stanchion. In this manner a compact arrangement of the supplies is effected and the capacity of the creel may be increased by the addition of further stanchions. The stanchions are preferably inclined forwardly so that the packages are oset one in advance of another tward the top of the creel and each spindle is adapted to be moved away from the frame by rocking its supporting arm on its pivot to permit the packages to be placed thereon or doffed therefrom.

Referring now to the drawings, the creel is shown as applied to use on a twisting frame wherein a group of strands supplied from individual package units arranged one above another are twisted into a single thread. The improved creel is constructed with a sectional frame comprised of stanchions 5 arranged in spaced parallel relationship. Each of the stanchions 5 is in the form of a bracket having rearwardly-extending webs 6 and l with feet 8 and 9 at their ends bolted to horizontally-extending rails Ill and I I of the machine to which the creel is applied. The webs 6 and 'I are of different lengths and so proportioned that the stanchions 5 extend forwardly toward the top at a slight angle to a vertical plane to provide for supporting the supply-spindles in oirset relationship.

Each stanchion 5 has forwardly-extending ears I2 arranged in vertically spaced relationship and slots I3 intermediate the ears of each pair. The slots I3 are inclined downwardly from the front of the stanchions to form socketed bearing seats for a purpose to be later explained. The forwardly-projecting ears I2 are formed with bosses I4 in which are xedly held pins I5 extending at right-angles to the stanchions, as most clearly shown in Figs. i and 3. Arms I6 are pivotally mounted on the projecting portions of the pins I5, being held in place by collars Il' secured to the ends of the pins. Preferably, the arms I6 have laterally-extending hubs I8 bored to receive the pivot-pins I5 and serving to space the arms from the sides of the stanchions 5.

Spindles 25 carried at the free ends of the arms I6 extend horizontally across the space between the stanchions 5 of each pair with their outer ends overlying the next laterally adjacent stanchion. The distance along each arm I6 between the axes of the pin I5 and spindle 25 is equal to the distance between the centers of the bosses I4 and the slots I3 so that the end of each spindle will enter one of the slots and seat in the closed end thereof. Each arm I5 is thus pivotally mounted, for movement from one side to the other of a vertical plane common to the axis of its pivot-pin I5, being supported in a position inclined rearwardly from this plane by the engagement of the outer end of its spindle 25 with the end of the slot I3. Movement of the arm I6 to the forward side of the vertical plane and downwardly into the position indicated by the dash lines in Fig. 2 is limited by a stop 26 projecting from the hub il of the arm and adapted to engage the under side of the ear I2 projecting forwardly from the stanchion 5.

When the pvoted arms I6 are swung forwardly and downwardly to the position illustrated by dash lines in Fig. 2 the supply-packages P may be mounted on the spindles 25 by sliding them over the free ends thereof. The supply-package may be of any suitable form such as a cop, cone, spool, cheese, cake or the like and, as herein illustrated, the supply is in the form of a rayon cake supported on an expansible holder 28 of 'the type illustrated and described in a copending application of Royal Little et al., Serial No. 73,730, filed April 10, 1936. In this form of holder conical end members 29 and 30, indicated in Fig. l of the present drawings, cooperate with a radially-expansible core or mandrel 3I to support the cake or package P. The end members 29 and Sil carry interengaging screw-threaded means for adjusting the diameter of the holder 28 including a hollow stud 32 for rotatably supporting the holder on the spindle 25. In the preferred form of construction of the creel as herein illustrated a spacer-sleeve 34 is provided on each of the spindles 25 to compensate for the hollow ends of the package-holders 2B, whereby to properly position the holders on the spindles.

In the present illustrated embodiment of the invention each stanchion 5 of the creel is adapted to support a group of four supply-packages P and a series of three of such groups are shown in the drawings as arranged in parallel relationship. The stanchions 5, however, may be constructed to mount a greater or less number of supply-packages in a group, and the capacity of the creel may be increased to include any desired number of groups by adding other stanchions 5 arranged in laterally spaced relationship. The improved creel having now been described in detail its mode of operation will next be explained.

To load the creel with supply-packages each arm I6 is rocked forwardly o-n its pivot I5 until its stop 26 engages the under side of its respective ear I2 on the stanchion 5. A package such as a cake P on its holder 28 is then mounted on the spindle 25 by sliding the hollow stud 32 over the free end of the spindle until the end member 29 engages the spacer-sleeve 34. 'Ihe arm I6 and package-holder 23 are then rocked rearwardly until the free end of the spindle 25 enters the appropriate slot i3 in thev next adjacent stanchion 5 and is seated in the closed end thereof. Due to the relative position of the closed end of the slot I3 with respect to the pivot-pin i5 the arm II is moved through a vertical plane, or across center, and the weight of the package P and holder 28 will therefore retain the end of the spindle 25 seated in the slot I3. With each of the spindles 25 of a group mounting a package P in position between a pair of laterally spaced stanchions 5 the packages are located one above another in vertically spaced relationship with each package off-set forwardly of the one below, due to the forwardly inclined arrangement of the stanchions. As the yarn or other strand y is drawn on? from the packages P and led downwardly to a common point below, each strand will run clear of the other packages and the inclination of the stanchions is such that should the yarn of an upper package be nearly exhausted it will still clear the periphery of a full package directly below it.

With the creel constructed as herein illustrated the four strands of each group are drawn downwardly and brought together to lead through the usual pigtail guide on the twisting frame or other apparatus to which the yarn is to be supplied. It will be understood, however, that the creel of the present invention is adapted for other uses and that any desired number of stanchions 5 may be arranged in parallel relationship with each stanchion adapted to mount any desired number of packages. Due to the construction and arrangement of the individually mounted stanchions 5, which form a sectional frame, the creel may be quickly assembled to any size and its capacity subsequently increased by merely adding further stanchions. Such facility of installation and extension is in part due to the arrangement of the pivotally mounted arms I6 carried wholly by one of the stanchions and rockable to engage their spindles 25 with the next adjacent stanchion to support the packages in delivering position.

It will be observed from the foregoing that the present invention provides a creel of simple and compact structure, adapted to support a maximum number of packages in a minimum space and to be expanded to any capacity by adding stanchions to its sectional frame. It will further be observed that the present creel facilitates the placing and cloning of the supplies and so positions one with respect to the other in offset relationship that a free delivery of all of the yarnsl is insured.

While the invention is` herein shown as embodied in a preferred form of construction, it is to be understood that variations may be made in the structure and arrangement of its parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, without limiting myself in this respect, I claim:

1. A creel comprising a pair of stanchions, a series of spindles extending between the stanchions one above another, means for supporting the spindles at one end to adapt them to be moved bodily away from the stanchions to permit donning and dofng packages, and means on the stanchions for supporting the free ends of the spindles to position the packages on the frame in vertical series in horizontal offset relationship with respect to each other.

2. A creel comprising a frame having forwardly inclined stanchions, arms pivotally mounted on one of the stanchions in vertical spaced relation to swing about horizontal axes, each arm being movable from one side to the other of a vertical plane intersecting its pivotal axis, and spindles on the arms parallel to the pivotal axes of the arms for rotatably supporting packages, said spindles being engageable with an adjacent stanchion to support a series of the packages in vertical series in offset relationship.

3. A ereel comprising forwardly inclined stanchions, ears projecting forwardly from the stanchions, arms pivotally mounted on. the ears at one of their ends to adapt their opposite free ends to swing toward and away from the stanchions, a spindle on each arm extending parallel to its pivotal airis and adapted to rotatably support a package, and bearings between the ears on the stanchions for supporting the outer ends of the spindles to position the packages in vertical series in offset relationship.

4. A creel comprising a frame inclined forwardly from a vertical plane, a series of arms pivotally mounted on the frame in vertical spaced relationship in a plane parallel to that or the trame, a spindle on each arm extending parallel to the pivotal axis of the arm and adapted to rotatably support a package, said spindles being bodily movable away from the frame by rocking the arms on their pivots, and means on the frame by rthe spindles whereby a series l' packare supported on the frame one above the other and each oiset forwardly with respect to the others below it.

5. A Creel comprising a frame having spaced stanchions, an arm having one end pivotally connected to one of the stanchions to adapt it tor swinging movement in plane at right-angles to a plane common to the stanchions, a spindle carried by the arm and extending parallel to the pivotal axis oi? the arm, said spindle being bodily movable away from the stanchions by the swinging .movement of the arm to permit donning and dofng of packages, and means on a stanchion opposite from that to which the arm is connected adapted to support the free end of the spindle to position the package in delivering position between adjacent stanchions.

6. A creel comprising an upright frame, an arm pivotally mounted on they frame to swing about a horizontal axis from one to the other of two positions on opposite sides of a vertical plane intersecting the pivotal axis of the mounting, a spindle on the arm extending parallel to the pivotal axis thereof and adapted to rotatably support a package, said spindle being positioned in spaced relation to the frame when the arm is in one of its positions to permit donning and doffing of packages, and means on the frame for supporting the outer end of the spindle when the arm is in its other position to maintain the package in delivering position on the frame.

7. A Vcreel comprising a pair of spaced stanchions, a series of arms pivotally mounted on one of the stanchions one above another with each pivot offset forwardly with respect to the one below, a spindle on each arm extending parallel to the pivotal axisof the arm and adapted to rotatably support a package, said spindles being bodily movable away from the stanchions by rocking the arms on their pivots, and means on the stanchion opposite from the one on which the arms are mounted for supporting the free ends of the spindles to position a group of packages between the stanchions with one above another and each offset forwardly Aof the one below.

8. A creel comprising a frame having forwardly inclined stanchions arranged in parallel spaced relationship, forwardly projecting ears arranged in vertical spaced relationship on each stanchion, arms having one of their ends pivotally connected to the ears on said stanchions to swing about horizontal axes, each arm being movable from one side to the other of a vertical plane intersecting its pivotal axis, spindles on the arms extending parallel to the pivotal aXes of the arms and adapted to rotatably support packages, and slots in said stanchions intermediate the ears for seating the outer endsof the spindles supported on an adjacent stanchion whereby a series of groups of packages are arranged in side by side relationship with the packages of each group oiset in vertical and horizontal spaced relationship.

ROYAL LI'I'ILE. 

